The present invention relates to an inclination sensor for sensing an inclination state of a running vehicle body and a method of attaching the inclination sensor to the vehicle body. In general, an inclination sensor is used for a safety system of a vehicle, which detects a turnover of the vehicle and, for example, cuts off the feeding of oil and/or switches off the ignition power supply system.
There has been developed an inclination sensor which comprises a case (housing) attached to a vehicle body, a pendulum type movement capable of freely rotating in the case in accordance with inclination of the vehicle body and a detector capable of electromagnetically sensing the magnetized part of the movement when a turnover of vehicle occurs (JP2001-256871).
The inclination sensor has been attached to the vehicle body in such a state that it can detect an inclination of the vehicle body in its lateral directions (sideways) by the pendulum movement set to swing in the same direction as the vehicle body laterally inclines.
The above-mentioned conventional inclination sensor still involves such a problem that its pendulum movement set to rotate in the lateral direction of the vehicle body cannot detect turn-over of the vehicle body in the longitudinal direction. To detect the turn-over of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction (backward or frontward), it is necessary to use an additional inclination sensor separately attached to the body so as to detect the turnover of the vehicle body in the longitudinal direction thereof.